Target keyword: how to start coloring as a hobby
(3,600/mo), adult coloring for beginners (5,400/mo), coloring as a hobby
(2,900/mo)
Meta description: Want to start coloring but don’t
know where to begin? Here’s the complete beginner’s guide — what to buy,
how to start, and how to actually enjoy it without getting
overwhelmed.
Category: Beginner Guides Tags:
beginner, adult coloring, how to start, supplies, hobby, mindfulness
Affiliate tag: strongdogsmar-20 (Amazon)
You Keep Seeing
Adult Coloring Books Everywhere
Bookstore displays. Instagram posts. Your friend who won’t stop
talking about how “relaxing” it is. And you keep thinking: That
looks nice, but I wouldn’t know where to start.
Good news: that’s exactly where everyone begins. Coloring as a hobby
has one of the lowest barriers to entry of any creative pursuit. You
don’t need talent, training, or expensive supplies. You just need a book
and something to color with.
Here’s everything you actually need to know to start — no
gatekeeping, no judgment, and no dollars200 supply list.
Step 1: Pick One Book (Just
One)
The biggest beginner mistake is buying five coloring books before
you’ve finished a single page. Don’t do it. Pick one book that looks
appealing and commit to coloring at least three pages in it before
buying another.
How to choose your first book:
Look at the designs. Do you prefer: – Nature scenes
(flowers, gardens, forests) → Secret
Garden by Johanna Basford — The classic. Detailed but forgiving. The
OG of adult coloring. – Bold, graphic patterns
(geometric, tropical) → Tropical
World by Marotta — Big spaces, bright colors, zero pressure. –
Simple, quick pages (when you want instant results) →
The
Mindfulness Coloring Book by Farrarons — Small, simple, finish a
page in 15 minutes.
Still not sure? Our
mood-based guide matches books to how you’re feeling, not just your
skill level.
Step 2: Get Some
Pencils (Not 200 of Them)
You need colored pencils. Not markers (they bleed). Not crayons
(they’re waxy and imprecise). Colored pencils are the best starting
medium for adult coloring because they’re forgiving, blendable, and
don’t destroy your book’s pages.
The only three options that matter for
beginners:
Best overall: Prismacolor
Premier 72-Color Set — Soft, blendable, vibrant. The standard for
adult coloring. If you can afford these, get them.
Best budget: Arteza
Professional 72-Color Set — Solid quality at half the price of
Prismacolors. Good pigment, decent blendability, great for beginners who
aren’t sure they’ll stick with it.
Cheapest possible: Crayola
50-Count — Yes, really. They’re not as smooth or blendable as
premium pencils, but they’re perfectly fine for your first 10 pages
while you figure out if you actually enjoy coloring.
For a deeper comparison, check out our guide
to the best colored pencils under dollars50.
Step 3: Get a
Sharpener (Seriously, This Matters)
A bad sharpener will break your pencil tips, waste your cores, and
make you think the pencils are the problem when they’re not.
Get the Kum
Automatic Long Point Sharpener. It’s under dollars10, it sharpens to a
long fine point that lasts, and it works with every pencil brand. This
is not optional — it’s the single best dollars10 upgrade you can make.
Step 4: Start Coloring
(Yes, Right Now)
You have a book and pencils. Don’t overthink this. Here’s your first
session:
- Open to a page that looks interesting
- Pick 4-5 colors that look good together (don’t think about it too
long) - Color for 15 minutes
- Stop whenever you want
That’s it. No rules. No “right” way to color. No technique to master
on day one. Just put pencil to paper and see what happens.
Common beginner fears — and why they’re wrong:
- “I’ll ruin the page.” — You won’t. And even if you pick a color you
don’t love, it’s just one page. There are 40+ more in the book. - “I don’t know which colors to use.” — Pick a color scheme: warm
(reds/oranges/yellows), cool (blues/greens/purples), or nature
(greens/browns/sky blue). Done. - “My coloring won’t look like the pictures online.” — Those people
have been coloring for years. You’re on page one. Comparison is the
thief of joy and all that.
Step 5: Learn One Technique
(Just One)
Don’t try to learn everything at once. After you’ve done 3-5 pages
and feel comfortable, pick one technique to
practice:
Start with layering. It’s the foundation of
everything else. Put down a light layer of one color, then add a second
color on top. The colors mix optically — blue over yellow makes green,
red over yellow makes orange. This single technique opens up 90% of what
you’ll ever need.
Our
blending and shading guide covers layering and more, but don’t read
it all at once. Learn layering first. Come back for the rest when you’re
ready.
The Starter Kit (Under dollars35)
If you want to keep it simple, here’s everything you need to start
coloring today:
- One coloring book: Secret
Garden by Johanna Basford — dollars12 - One pencil set: Arteza
Professional 72-Color — dollars22 - One sharpener: Kum
Automatic Long Point — dollars8
Total: under dollars42. That’s less than a movie and dinner, and it’ll give
you hours of enjoyment.
Want even cheaper? Swap the Arteza set for Crayola
50-Count and the total drops to under dollars25. Here’s
our full budget guide if you want more options.
How Often Should You Color?
Whenever you want. There’s no schedule, no streak to maintain, no
minimum.
If you’re coloring for relaxation: 15-20 minutes, a
few times a week. That’s enough to lower your cortisol and shift your
nervous system into a calmer state. More on coloring
for anxiety here.
If you’re coloring for fun: Whenever the mood
strikes. Some people color daily. Some pick it up once a month. Both are
fine.
If you’re coloring for mindfulness: Our
mindfulness coloring guide has a structured 7-day practice. But even
just 5 minutes of focused coloring counts.
The point is: coloring is a hobby, not an obligation. The moment it
feels like homework, you’re doing it wrong.
What About
Markers, Gel Pens, and Other Supplies?
Eventually you might want to expand. Markers
vs pencils is the most common question — and the answer is pencils
first, markers later.
But honestly? Don’t worry about it yet. Get comfortable with pencils
first. After 10-15 pages, you’ll know whether you want to try something
different. The hobby will tell you what it needs.
Final Thoughts
Starting a coloring hobby is simple: one book, one set of pencils,
one sharpener. That’s it. Everything else — technique, supplies, style —
comes later, and only if you want it to.
The hardest part isn’t the supplies or the technique. It’s giving
yourself permission to start something new without being good at it
immediately. Coloring doesn’t require skill. It just requires showing
up.
So go pick a page, pick a few colors, and start. The rest will figure
itself out.